Tap The Winner Within

Start by looking for what’s right instead of what’s wrong

You wouldn’t think of starting out on a long journey without a map to get you from where you are to your destination. Yet how many people go through life without a clear destination, much less a roadmap for getting there?

 

The reason people experience disappointment is not because they’ve failed at some endeavor, but because they’ve never formulated clear goals for themselves. They turn to quick fixes, and while they may see some improvement, the results usually don't last and they end up back where they started.
 
You can achieve excellence once you realize what is holding you back.
 
Throughout my career, I’ve observed how people are being held back by their own lack of belief in themselves and their own abilities. In doing so, they deprive themselves as well as friends, family, and society of their potential accomplishments.
 
From selling books door to door to buying and selling real estate to managing futures in the financial markets, I’ve observed all kinds of people with one connecting trait: the ones who did not succeed gave up when things got tough. And times do get tough, which is why a map of instruction on how to survive and thrive is so important.
 
Many people are hard-pressed to define why they have chosen a particular job or career. They exist in a state of “domestic entrapment”, performing jobs in order to make ends meet rather than out of any deep conviction. As a result, they pursue jobs or careers that don’t take advantage of their true talents and are content to fritter away their productive years in meaningless occupations.
 
Ask yourself:
 

 
Understanding problems and situations you are going to face are crucial before making a decision about a career. Before considering a career, you should interview professionals in the field you want to pursue and ask them about the most discouraging times that they’ve had to override and conquer, and what motivated them to go into this field.
 
Taking the time and effort to do this may force you to ask yourself some tough questions:
 

 
The most crucial thing is to have a plan. If you don’t have a plan but you have a good tactic, you must pursue it and not just wander aimlessly.
 
I don’t think that my time after high school could have been spent better than going to college. Looking back at my circumstances, although I was not pursuing a specific degree with a suitable profession in mind, going to college gave me an opportunity to grow as an individual.
 
Nevertheless, being in an environment that was full of possibilities gave me an open mind to see the merit behind the book-selling opportunity once it was presented. Had I been spending my life in a noncommittal, low-productive lifestyle, with no particular direction in mind, I would not have been able to recognize the challenge and opportunity once it was offered.
 
So many people would be pursuing their life-long dream if they believed that the greatest security is within him or her and not the job, the company, or the government. We make our own security in life. More than ever, this is a lesson that everybody needs to embrace.
 
When you realize that you are the engine of your dreams, the excitement of what is possible will grab you. And when it does, anything is possible and the rewards can be enormous.
 
Like every other skill, developing a positive self-image requires practice. Write down your goals, and act as though you have already achieved them. Develop the habit to record a success when it happens. Make other people feel important (at least two people a day and write down their names if you can).
 
Write down all the things you are doing well and those that are not going so well. Accentuate the positive.
 
One of the most painful feelings we can experience is rejection. There are few experiences that are more emotionally devastating.
 
I learned this first-hand while selling books door to door. I had doors slammed in my face so loud the windows rattled. One time a guy grabbed me by the arm, escorted me out to the edge of his lawn and threatened, “Don’t you ever come back here again.”
 
I learned that for every sale, there might be dozens of rejections. Lots of times I knew that as hard as I tried, that sale was just not going to happen, and there I was, back out on the hot sidewalk with many more doors to knock on.
 
But I pressed on. Whatever success I’ve known in life is not because I’m a genius. It’s because I wouldn’t quit.
 
When rejection hits, you face a choice: either you can beat yourself up and erode your self-esteem, or you can use the rejection as a learning experience and try to avoid repeating the mistake. Seek new ways to do things; think in different ways. That is called growth.
 
There is plenty of blame to go around, but to move forward, it is necessary to face your errors and admit them. Excuses may seem like a convenient way out of an uncomfortable situation, but they do nothing to create a long-term solution.
 
Everyone at some point in their lives has questioned their self-worth. The difference is that successful people know how to interpret their negative feelings and place them into the proper context. Successful people are interested in results, so they face their fears and act.
 
In contrast, people who allow their fears to dictate their actions are content to just get by. At some point, they come to grips with the fundamental truth that happiness comes from enriching the lives of others, whether through ideas, products or services.
 
People who strive for excellence know that they won’t always succeed, but are willing to take on the challenge. These people know there will be times of rejection; indeed, at times they wish they had never taken on that challenge. But through perseverance, they will experience the rewards that come with true accomplishments.
 
When I was selling books door-to-door did I enjoy having doors slammed in my face, working 80 hours a week? No, I did not, but I did enjoy going back to Nashville and receiving my paycheck, which, at the time, was more money than I had ever seen in my life. It was enough money to pay the following year’s tuition at Auburn University with some left over. This motivated me to continue to sell books each summer while in college. At that point (1969), I possessed $25,000 in my savings (equivalent to over $170,000 in 2017) and this accomplishment, in turn, motivated me to pursue other challenges. How could it not? This was a strong financial start and foundation for a college graduate.
 
When things go wrong, it’s very easy to fall back into negativity about yourself and your aims. It’s not always easy to propel yourself forward again. The first step is to recall your attributes. Don’t be shy. You are taking honest stock of yourself. List them in order of occurrence in your past. Look at the things you have done well and believe in them.
 
There are ways to keep yourself grounded when it feels like the floor has dropped out from under you.

Look at the following list and check off the descriptions that apply to you. If your particular plusses are not on the list, feel free to add them. I am:

My guess is that you checked off more than one category. If you are a generally positive and friendly person, then setbacks are not going to change your outlook for long. If you are enthusiastic and determined, you won’t stop until you achieve more successes. If you are a dedicated hard worker, you are not likely to stop because you want results.
 
I will leave you with the following quotation from Pastor Charles Swindoll about the power to choose when dealing with adversity: “Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past than education than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearances, giftedness or skills ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.”